Londonderry officials say water and sewer work is making steady progress as petition outreach continues

Town staff updated the Utilities Committee on several ongoing water and sewer projects and on outreach for a proposed water special assessment district.

Town staff reported that American Excavating has been performing site preparation on the High Range Road project but has not yet started the major paving and trench work; the contractor intends to finish smaller jobs first and then move north from Royal, with major construction slated for the next construction season once remaining engineering and homeowner surveys are complete. Staff noted escrowed funds and ARPA contributions are in place for the segments identified for town involvement, and that the broader western-side neighborhood build-out will proceed in phases through the project timeline staff outlined.

On the Woodmont sewer work, staff said the Bankroft segment has been completed to gravel and will remain for a settling and testing period before final paving; pipe crews are progressing along Hardy/Harvey Road at an estimated pace of roughly 1,500 feet per week, and the force main areas (some 15–18 feet deep) should reach restoration and paving once testing is complete. The Pillsbury pump-station excavation and associated ledge blasting have advanced, and staff reported the project team is coordinating sequencing to minimize disruption and to repave trenches after appropriate settlement.

Committee members raised questions about the Old Dairy Road main and whether the new main would immediately serve older homes with reported well contamination. Staff clarified the Old Dairy work is part of the Southern New Hampshire regional water system to improve connectivity and redundancy; the state-led main provides backbone capacity, and although curb stops are being installed where the new main runs, the regional project was not primarily designed to extend service to all side streets. Staff said funding applications tied to contamination-remediation priorities had been submitted to congressional offices and had advanced to congressional review; decisions were expected in late summer or early fall.

Kirsten (staff) reviewed outreach materials for the proposed water special assessment district (WSAD). She said each eligible property received a mailed packet with a petition card and FAQs clarifying that signing the card does not require a homeowner to connect or to pay unless they later choose to enter the assessment. To date staff reported receiving 35 returned petition cards — about 18% of property owners in the mailing list of roughly 198 properties — and that the initiative needs many more signed cards to reach the formation thresholds (the petition requires a set number of property signatures and a percentage of assessed value). Staff asked committee members to contact neighbors listed on the handout and to avoid naming individual owners during public comment to protect privacy. Staff also suggested staged digital and mailed communications for residents who do not use social media.

What’s next: staff will continue homeowner outreach for the WSAD, monitor petition returns, and report results at the committee’s June meetings. Separately, staff will finalize engineering schedules and notify residents about temporary road openings and overnight water shutoffs tied to tie-in work.

Sources: Committee discussion and staff updates during the Utilities Committee meeting. The committee distributed a WSAD mailing and posted materials on the town website for public review.